“An Essay Towards the Present and Future Peace of Europe”

“An Essay Towards the Present and Future Peace of Europe”, written by William Penn, consists of a peace proposal. In the tenth section, the author lists seven benefits that result from it.
They are the outcome of the maintenance and preservation of a peaceful world. The author seeks, through them, to appeal to the role that rulers have in achieving peace. However, more than making them aware of their role, the author seeks to persuade them to play it. To this end, it uses interests innate to rulers and to Christendom, the first perspective of Europe and its first identity matrix.

1st Benefit

First, the state of peace prevents the shedding of human blood, a natural consequence of war. Here, the responsibility of the rulers for the lives lost in war is underlined: “it is a duty that falls to them to be tender in the lives of their people, because, without any doubt, they are responsible to God for the blood shed in their service”. The negative consequences that the loss of life entails for any Government, such as a reduction in the workforce and a drop in reproduction, are also highlighted. Thus, it is the duty of any Government to cease war, in order to look after the life of its people, as this is its obligation, just as it is advisable for any Government to do it, as this will favor it.

2nd Benefit

Second, the state of peace would make possible to get back Christianity’s reputation in the eyes of infidels. This reputation would have been damaged by the war itself, namely by the wars of the Christians. Here, the author seems to question the devotees, as they would distance from the designs of their God. According to religion, God’s objective would be to save men’s lives, sowing peace among them, not to destroy it through war.

3rd Benefit

Third, the state of peace allows the preservation of monetary resources, both for the rulers and for the people. In addition to being spared the exorbitant expenses that result from the war, the rulers would also be spared from the resentments and revolts of the people that, generally, occur in the recession that marks the post-war period.

4th Benefit 

A fourth benefit, in part related to the previous one, is the maintenance and preservation of infrastructure. Entire cities and countries can be devastated during the war period, which makes the recovery period difficult; as the economic situation, already shaken by the war expenses, worsens due to the lack of labor and the destruction of means of production.

5th Benefit 

Fifth, the state of peace naturally allows for ease and security in intra-European circulation. With the relations between the different Governments calmed, there are fewer barriers to access.

6th Benefit

Sixthly, another advantage of the state of peace lies in the security of Christians against Turkish incursions. One of the biggest threats to Europe was the presence of the Turks and the expansion of their empire, which put Europe at odds with other religions. In this way, the Christian religion was called into question. The climate of peace, however, allows for coexistence and mutual respect between different religions.

7th Benefit

Finally, the state of peace allows for the establishment of friendly relationships, which ward off war tendencies and root peace. These relationships encourage conflict resolution through dialogue and civility and promote reciprocal marks of hospitality and kindness. The affection will thus always be preserved.

Comment

William Penn advocates the exclusive acceptance of peaceful means for conflict resolution and, of course, condemns warfare. I therefore believe that his proposal for peace consists in drawing up a desire, intrinsic to him, that a climate of peace reigns in Europe.

However, in the awareness that conflict is innate in States and that some States benefit from war, the author could not only appeal to the economic and strategic benefits of peace. Thus, the author concentrates on something that is not superficial, that is rooted in the idea of Europe itself and that brings all parties together: the link to the Christian religion. Furthermore, the author elevates his discussion to the emotional field, comparing the rule of European States to the rule of a family. With the same rules of justice and prudence that a father governs his family, Europe will be able to obtain and preserve peace between its States.

Bibliography:
Penn, W., 1983. An essay towards the present and future peace of Europe by the establishment of an European dyet, parliament on estates. Hildesheim: Olms.

You can find the whole essay here: https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/25750949.pdf